Mega Motivation continues this month as we explore time management. Now, you know that I excel in this area. Over the years I have become a very efficient person. So, today I'm sharing the 8 most influential time management tips that have changed my life and taken me from lazy to proficient. 

Make sure you check out the Mega Motivation playlist to see what all of the other lovely YouTubers have to say about time management.  

Here are the quotes we will discuss. To hear my thoughts on each one, make sure you watch today's video. 

⚜️ “If you knew Time as well as I do, you wouldn’t talk about wasting it.” – The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland

⚜️ “Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.” – Miles Davis

 

⚜️"It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" — Henry David Thoreau

⚜️"The key is in not spending time, but in investing it." — Stephen R. Covey

⚜️"Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning." — Winston Churchill

⚜️“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

⚜️“A plan is what, a schedule is when. It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done.” — Peter Turla

⚜️“The most efficient way to live reasonably is every morning to make a plan of one’s day and every night to examine the results obtained.” — Alexis Carrel

⚜️“Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.” — Alan Lakein

⚜️Featured in the video

SKYE Lea pearl earrings Jennifer20 for 20% off

Nail Polish Londontown Ring Me JenniferS for 25% off

Lip oil by MERIT (shade Taupe)

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📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for September

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📍Jennifer is featured in My French Country Home Magazine in the July/ August issue. 

📍Jennifer is featured in Fatherly Magazine in an article on children's table manners. 

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Comment of the Week

Sandra Sallin writes, "This is off the subject but it's in response to a YouTube video you made about how your book became published. You will not remember me but about 10 years ago I asked you if at 70 years old I was too old to start a blog. Your response was for me to "Do it." no if ands or buts just do it. Well, 10 years later I've not only been blogging and it's been very successful but also I'm on Instagram. I was discovered there and featured twice in the London Times Style Section because of my age and my videos ( IGTVs) I will also be featured in an Associated Press feature about my success as a blogger and instagramer because of my age and my followers which now reach 25,300!!! Not bad for this 80 year old. I simply had to tell you that your encouragement worked. Thank you for your encouragement.

I've even made some of your recipes for my husband and he has enjoyed them. I do think he likes foods that kids like. So thank you again."

Dear Sandra, I am thrilled for you and continue to cheer you on. Congratulations all of your success! Here is a link to Sandra's blog for all who are interested.

I hope you enjoyed today's video on time management. I would love to hear your own time management tips. Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week.

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Today I’m going to share with you a Homemaker’s best friend. I’m going to cut right to the chase and let you know what it is. Yes, it’s a timer. You don’t have to have a fancy timer like this one. You could use the one on your phone or on the microwave. Any timer will do.



Why is the timer a homemaker’s best friend? Well… that is what I am going to reveal to you in today’s video.

How many times have you had to clean at the end of a long day and thought, I simply cannot do this. I literally cannot tidy anything up right now, I’m so tired. Or you might not even be tired, you might actually have a lot of energy, but you’d rather spend it doing something, anything else. (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, be sure to watch my video, The Number One Enemy to Homemakers.)

Well, we often talk ourselves into a frenzy about the chores we have to do. Can you relate? We build it up in our minds as this horrible dreaded task that is going to take forever, when in reality the chore at hand doesn’t actually take that long to do.

I love to time myself for 15 minutes, although I have been known to do 5 minutes and even power hours. But 15 minutes is usually the time frame I work with the most.

You would be amazed to know what you can accomplish in 15 minutes.

Most of the time I set the timer for 15 minutes to clean the kitchen and I’m done within 8 minutes. Then I just use the rest of the time to tidy something else or I sit down and enjoy a break.

The power of the timer is in your perception. Usually when you don’t feel like cleaning, you can convince yourself to at least devote 15 minutes to the task at hand. Tell yourself that when the timer goes off you will stop no matter what.

During those 15 minutes you can listen to a podcast or have a YouTube video on in the background or listen to beautiful music. I guarantee, those 15 minutes will fly.

Sometimes at the end of the 15 minutes something curious happens. I have regained my motivation for cleaning and actually want to continue. That has happened to me more times than I could count.

Use the timer technique on any task and in any room. Every family member, including the children, can also benefit from using a timer.

The timer is the homemaker’s best friend. Use it everyday as a motivational tool. Make it your best friend.


The vintage timer is found on Amazon. The dish tray, dish brushes, flower dish soap dispenser and dish soap are all from Grove Collaborative. The microfiber cloths used are by e-cloth. The apron is by Cath Kidston, a gift from my mother-in-law.

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📍On Tuesday, I posted a video on YouTube discussing my thoughts on social media. The comment section is full of insights on your social media experience. The title of my video is, My Instagram is Rated D+ | Here's Why That's a Good Thing. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to see the videos that are not featured on the blog.

📍Take part in the Chic Assignment for August and join our Daily Connoisseur community.

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Comment of the Week

KWheels writes, "After watching and then pondering your video on the number 1 enemy to homemaking, I went and deleted IG and FB. I honestly thought that Facebook was more distracting, but it was amazing the difference it made to let go of IG! I was following some pretty wonderful ladies, but I was unintentionally trying to mimic their life and feeling defeated when mine didn’t line up. Thank you for being a solid D+! 😍"


KWheels, yours was the most liked comment on YouTube! Thanks for sharing your freeing experience. I'm embracing my D+ grade on Instagram :)

Thank you for joining us for today's video. I would love to know if you like to use a timer to clean. Does this technique work for you?


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We should always be growing in maturity as adults and getting wiser. That involves assessing our own behavior… truthfully. I go through stages in life where I feel exhausted. Can you relate? The burdens of everyday life and the chores that go along with them seem to be too much to handle sometimes.



I often think of the past and how women of past ages were able to handle it all. As time has moved on, technology has advanced so our homemaking should be getting easier. But also as technology progresses, we have much more to entertain ourselves with and this is where the number one enemy to homemaking comes in.

I believe the number one enemy to homemaking is DISTRACTION.

Distraction. We are distracted by our phones, the television, by text messages, social media, and yes, even YouTube videos like this one.

Distracted. Because life can feel so hard, we frequently reward ourselves with treats by checking our phones and mindlessly scrolling. You’ll hop on to facebook just to have a quick look and, soon as you know it, an hour has passed. We fill our online shopping carts with items and do virtual window shopping. We can get into an endless text chain with our girlfriends, which provides so much comfort, but also takes us away from the tasks we need to do.

Distraction. The number one enemy of homemakers. I fall privy to distraction on a daily basis. So what I’ve been working on lately is recognizing my distractions. I call them out. I notice how addicted I am to checking my email and my notifications. I notice the strong desire I get to send off a text message before I begin any chore.

A great way to combat these distractions is to consciously make the choice to finish your chore first, and then you will reward yourself with the treat of the distraction. Over time you will want the distraction less and less.

This isn’t to say that we should be all work and no play. Not at all. I like to listen to audio books and podcasts while I work. I also like to watch my favorite YouTube channels or listen to beautiful music. I text my girlfriends every day and enjoy our repartee. So, yes, we need to take time for rest and self care in equal measure. But we should also be honest with ourselves about our distractions and how they are holding us back.

Why should we care?

Homemaking is hard, but it is also deeply worthy work. The beginning of a good life starts at home. Your home shapes you, shapes your children. Is it in chaos? Or is it in order? Or somewhere in between? (Hint: it’s OK to be somewhere in between). We pour ourselves into our homes because it is worthy work, indeed. So as we eschew our distractions and prioritize our home, we lift the homemakers who came before us as we carry on in the beauty of daily life.

For more on how to be efficient at home, check out my affordable eCourse. Thousands of women have connected over there to share their homemaking and efficiency journeys.

A recent testimonial from the eCourse on efficiency:

Daniella writes, "This course was so lovely! Not only did I learn certain ways of doing things and taking care at home and of myself, but just how to do it all with a better attitude. I think that's really the key message. I am so overwhelmed by it all at times – the cleaning, the laundry, the cooking, the care-taking, working, etc., and was feeling miserable about it, but if I shift how I view these things and try to do them with a little joy and pleasure of the moment, it's SO much more manageable!

I can't wait to take your other courses and hope you will continue to do more, and please never stop youtubing! LOL, your videos are a classy, positive, breath of fresh air in a world that is just crazy right now!

I look forward to establishing a better morning routine this week, as I think this will be key to having a much more productive and positive day :)"

Thank you, Daniella! I have enjoyed reading your comments on the course!

I hope you found this video to be motivating. I would love to know... do you struggle with distraction at home? How does it affect your homemaking? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week.

Love,

Jennifer




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I am so pleased to debut my newest eCourse, How to be Efficient at Home, for you today!



I have been working on this course for the past several months and have put so much into it. You will find over two hours of brand new videos, plus text, quizzes and a lively comment section full of fellow Daily Connoisseurs who are all interested in living beautifully at home.

Experience a total mind-shift in how you look at your domestic tasks, uncover valuable time, and enjoy your life at home through this enjoyable course.

You will work on identifying your distractions and making them work for you, establishing early wakeup times and a morning routine, as well as cleaning routines and efficient meal planning. I share my cleaning routines, planning habits, and efficiency secrets, plus so much more in this course.

Also offered in this course is a free batch cooking eBook by my friend Kim, from Free to Family. Thank you, Kim for your generosity!

As with the other courses, I am offering this one at only $5. This price will last for one month and then I will raise it to $10. (I do this to cover the hosting costs that Teachable charge me to host my courses, which is quite substantial.) Also, I want to offer it at $5 so that it is accessible to everyone and it is not a burden on anyone's wallet.

Please watch today's video announcement to learn more.

To see my other eCourses, click here.

I truly hope you enjoy this newest course. I look forward to connecting with you over there! Thank you for your support. Your support of my work means so much to me. More than you know.

With love,

Jennifer